Yes we should change all braille to computer braille. On 9/20/13, David Chittenden <[email protected]> wrote: > Actually, we need to change all braille to computer braille. This way, we > become better able to match our sighted peers. Our spelling will > dramatically improve, and we will experience text much more the way sighted > people experience it. > > David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA > Email: [email protected] > Mobile: +64 21 2288 288 > Sent from my iPhone > >> On 20 Sep 2013, at 22:36, Carol Pearson <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> Jonathan, Annie and all, >> >> >> I agree totally with your sentiments, but do feel that, along with >> suggestions so far, there needs to be a big push for schools to keep it a >> priority for children to learn thoroughlyand use braille every day. >> >> My gut feeling is that Apple really does need to call upon the resources >> of those who are experts in this field. Idon't believe they can really >> achieve the kind of excellence we require without such expertise. In other >> words, if they do not employ an expert who already has a very good >> knowledge of braille and the way things work, they need to outsource some >> of this work. >> >> They certainly need to be listening to us on this matter. >> Carol P >> Sent from my iPhone using MBraille >> >> On 20 Sep 2013, at 10:50 am, Annie Skov Nielsen >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Hi Jonathan. >> >> I agree with you. I have some things to add. >> >> I am using braille very much on my IPhone, because I am a braille user, I >> am not using speech very much. >> >> to me it is also a problem, that there are no ways you can go to the next >> line with the left hand, and many keyboard commands such as VoiceOver >> search, has not been added to braille displays yet. This should have been >> fixed. We could do so much with our braille displays if apple would use >> the posibilities which our braille displays have. >> >> Best regards Annie. >>> Den Sep 20, 2013 kl. 10:10 AM skrev Jonathan Mosen <[email protected]>: >>> >>> Hi everyone, since I believe this is such a vital issue, and given that >>> it is 100% on-topic for this list, I would like to paste below an entry I >>> just posted to my blog. I hope you enjoy it and that you'll give it some >>> thought. >>> >>> People from all walks of life, not just blind people, can get extremely >>> partisan about their technology preferences. Anything their team does is >>> unquestionably wonderful, while anything another company does is rubbish, >>> simply by virtue of the fact that it’s the other guys who did it. If you >>> criticise the company such people support, you’ve committed heresy. >>> As blind people, I don’t believe we have the luxury of being so childish. >>> Unemployment is high. Misconceptions abound regarding how capable we can >>> be in the workplace, and in society as a whole. We need to be open to all >>> solutions, and where possible, use the best mix of technology we can to >>> be as productive, functional and self-reliant as we can. >>> To be clear, I have enormous admiration for the way Apple has changed the >>> game in assistive technology. When they released VoiceOver in 2009, I was >>> concerned that Apple might do just enough to get people off its back >>> regarding the inaccessibility of the iPhone. But that has not been the >>> case. With every release, Apple has added tangible enhancements such as >>> alternative forms of input, innovative ways for us to use the camera, and >>> so much more. So Apple’s commitment to accessibility is real, its >>> ongoing, and it has earned enormous praise and respect. >>> Is there a “but” coming? Yes, there is, actually., because being grateful >>> for a product doesn’t mean we don’t have rights as paying consumers to >>> point out where a product falls short. But more than that, if Apple’s >>> innovations risk killing off a category of product, and the literacy of >>> our kids is threatened, we have a moral obligation to speak up >>> constructively and ask Apple to engage with us as a community about >>> fixing the issue. >>> The Internet is buzzing with reports of bugs in iOS 7. I’m not unduly >>> concerned about most of these, because I believe the majority of them >>> will come out in the wash. iOS 7 was a massive refactoring of the OS. I >>> hope that there’ll be fixes released steadily across the coming year. >>> However, I am deeply troubled by Apple’s ongoing apparent failure to >>> understand what constitutes Braille support of an appropriate quality. >>> We’re not talking bugs in this case, we’re talking a fundamental user >>> interface failure – a feature not fully fit for purpose. >>> Since Braille was introduced in iOS, it has supported contracted Braille >>> in English markets. This is a means by which space is saved, and speed >>> increased, by using a series of symbols and abbreviations. When one reads >>> contracted Braille in iOS, it works quite well. When one rights it, it is >>> the worst implementation of contracted input I’ve ever used on any >>> device. >>> Since its inception, if you input a letter in contracted Braille which >>> would be the abbreviation for a word if surrounded by spaces, iOS expands >>> the word it represents if you pause for a short time before inputting the >>> next character. For example, write “p” and it will quickly be expanded to >>> the word “people”. If you are proofing a document you’ve brailled and >>> wish to insert a letter in the middle of a word, you must preface the >>> letter with a letter sign, dots 5-6, to prevent it from being expanded. >>> This is not in accordance with the Braille code and is simply wrong. >>> Apple must surely know about this poor implementation. It’s been talked >>> about in many forums, including an excellent presentation by Judy Dixon >>> at the CSUN Technology Conference on Persons with Disabilities. I, and >>> I’m sure others, have also raised it. >>> It’s also evident that Apple knows about the issues, because to its >>> credit, it appears to at least have made an effort to try and fix the >>> problem in iOS 7. It now offers an “Automatic Braille Translation” >>> toggle. This feature is so below par compared with most of the design of >>> all other VoiceOver features, that it must surely be the case that Apple >>> is getting no advice, or poor advice, from anyone actually using Braille >>> in their daily life. >>> When you toggle “Automatic Braille Translation” off, you can take as long >>> as you wish when inputting characters, and they’re not back-translated. >>> Isn’t that what we want? Well yes, it would appear to be a step in the >>> right direction. Except when you use it, you find that Braille is not >>> readable on the display until you either press the space bar, or dots >>> 4-5-cord. Why Apple believes this is acceptable, I have no idea. Can you >>> imagine a sighted person finding it acceptable in any other scenario >>> other than password entry, to not be able to look at what they’re >>> entering until they press “Space”? >>> But it’s worse than that. If you backspace over what you’ve typed, you >>> run into back-translation issues similar to those experienced when >>> automatic translation is set to on. >>> Additionally, having to press dots 4-5-cord after inserting a letter in >>> the middle of a word is counterintuitive, and again, an implementation >>> far more primitive than anything else that offers contracted input. Apple >>> seems to have implemented a pretty crude buffer, that is simply dumped >>> when you type one of two commands to empty it. That is not a solution. >>> The Braille implementation in iOS does not meet the “it’s intuitive and >>> it just works” test that has been the hallmark of Apple products >>> including VoiceOver. >>> Now if it were just about us as Braille reading adults, I wouldn’t bother >>> writing this post. It would get on my nerves, but I’d continue to work >>> around it and just put it down to a bizarre, less than optimal >>> implementation. I’m not writing this for me. I’m not asking blind people, >>> and the world’s consumer organisations, to come together on this for me >>> or people like me. I’m writing this for the kids. It’s the kids who >>> matter. >>> If you’re a Braille user, you’ll have seen the implementation of Nemeth >>> in iOS 7. It’s there because Apple’s going after the education market, >>> particularly in the US. Good for Apple. I can see enormous benefit in a >>> kid being given an iPad and a Braille display for use at home and in >>> school. Don’t underestimate how mainstream tech can be a great way to >>> help blind kids blend in with sighted kids. Parents feel more empowered, >>> because the iPad is technology they know and understand, so when the >>> child gets in trouble at home, they can help out. Classroom teachers in >>> mainstream schools know what an iPad is as well and feel similarly >>> empowered. >>> But all of these benefits have to be secondary considerations to the one >>> that matters above all else, – equipping our kids with good Braille >>> literacy skills. Braille is their ticket to higher education. Braille >>> offers a greater chance of gainful employment. Braille is absolutely >>> critical, and Braille is not to be trifled with. Half-baked Braille >>> solutions are not appropriate for our kids when there’s a crisis in >>> getting Braille instruction to them already. >>> We should not expect our kids to have to learn to work-around Apple’s >>> poor implementation, we should expect Apple to fix its Braille. >>> For the last 20 years or so, blind kids have increasingly used >>> proprietary notetaker technology. I’ve no problem whatsoever with >>> technology moving on, and a category of product becoming obsolete. I love >>> the idea of investing in a good Braille display that will last you for >>> years, and upgrading the technology that drives the display on a more >>> regular basis. But that technology has to do the Braille properly. >>> There are cost savings to be made by cash-strapped agencies who purchase >>> equipment for blind children, and that’s also why I’m writing this post. >>> I can see bean-counters concluding that the combination of an iPad and a >>> Braille display is a good solution for kids now. Many of these purchasers >>> are not Braille users themselves, and I believe we have a duty of care to >>> our kids to spread the word that Apple is not there yet. It is trying, >>> and should be applauded for doing so, but still, it’s not there. >>> You will remember the huge backlash caused by the initial release of >>> Apple Maps in iOS 6. In terms of fitness for purpose, Apple Maps was far >>> superior at release than Braille is now. The only difference is that >>> Braille affects a tiny fraction of Apple’s user-base, not hundreds of >>> millions of people. >>> Lest anyone think I’m whining without a solution, I actually know a lot >>> about this subject, having worked as a product manager with a range of >>> products that use contracted Braille. I have a good feel for where Apple >>> has got it wrong and what it might do to fix it, while not of course >>> being familiar with the VoiceOver code. But I am absolutely confident >>> that it’s fixable. Let’s not forget, Apple invented a way for blind >>> people to make effective use of touch screens. Apple gave us unimagined >>> access to taking photos. It is certainly not beyond Apple to look at best >>> practice and figure this one out, because unlike some of the other things >>> it’s done, the solutions already exist. >>> If this poor-quality support had been offered to us by an assistive >>> technology company, we’d have jumped all over it long before now. But >>> given that Apple develops screen readers, that makes it both a mainstream >>> technology company, and an assistive technology company. We should hold >>> it to no less a standard. >>> Having outlined the problem, here’s what I think needs to happen. >>> Typically, I’d suggest that Apple needs to engage with the community with >>> a view to fixing these issues for the sake of our kids, but that’s not >>> really been its style. It is secretive by nature. In that case then, it >>> needs to buy the expertise to make Braille truly viable in the education >>> market. >>> As Braille readers, we need to politely articulate the problems to Apple, >>> and let Apple know we consider it important that they are fixed. >>> Consumer organisations should do what they’ve done so many times before, >>> and focus on their unity when it comes to Braille issues. A >>> broad-coalition of consumers, educators and parents needs to ensure this >>> issue is not allowed to drop. >>> And finally, no one in charge of any purse strings should consider it an >>> appropriate solution to give a kid an iPad in the classroom if they’re a >>> Braille user. If purchasers want to move away from the blindness >>> notetaker, and I get that, a laptop and Braille display is a far better >>> solution in terms of Braille reliability and consistency. >>> I’ll be the first to cheer loudly, and sing Apple’s praises, if it fixes >>> its Braille. And I’ll continue to praise all it has done right, which I >>> often do in media interviews and blindness tech forums. But please, for >>> the sake of the kids, lets do what we need to do to advocate for good >>> quality Braille on Apple devices. We have a duty to the next generation >>> to do no less. >>> I’ve done what I can as an individual to make Apple aware of these >>> failings, but clearly, we need to do more to help it gain an appreciation >>> of why this is so important. >>> Jonathan Mosen >>> Mosen Consulting >>> Blindness technology eBooks, tutorials and training >>> http://Mosen.org >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >>> Google Group. >>> >>> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >>> >>> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >>> >>> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >>> [email protected]. >>> >>> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >>> [email protected]. >>> >>> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >>> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "VIPhone" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to [email protected]. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google Group. >> >> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >> >> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> >> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" >> Google Group. >> >> Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. >> >> Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting >> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. >> >> Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing >> [email protected]. >> >> More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting >> http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "VIPhone" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VIPhone" Google > Group. > > Post a new message to VIPhone by emailing [email protected]. > > Search and view the VIPhone archives by visiting > http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/. > > Reach the VIPhone owner and moderators by emailing > [email protected]. > > Unsubscribe and leave VIPhone by emailing > [email protected]. > > More VIPhone group options can be found by visiting > http://groups.google.com/group/viphone?hl=en. > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "VIPhone" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. >
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